If you’re all alone, stuck on a deserted island in the middle of the ocean, what three things would you want to have with you? Food, water, and a tent – or a speedboat, gas, and a life vest? The answer depends on whether you want to get off the island!
Businesses get stuck on the island because they do things the same as always, hoping that someone will notice them and come to their rescue – that is, buy their product or service. But if no customers show up, they have no business.
Do you feel stuck? If so, what three things can you do to unfetter your marketing endeavors, acquire new customers and get OFF the island? These three tips we’ve learned from decades in marketing might help rescue your business:
~The Power of Three
~Don’t Give Up Too Quickly
~Test and Measure
The Power of Three
The “rule of three” asserts that items in groups of three are most appealing. Our brains are wired to have choices – but not too many. Three is the magic number that enables us make a decision without becoming overwhelmed by the choices. You can use the power of three to your marketing advantage in how you promote your products, and how you approach your marketing strategy.
Falling prey to shiny objects, vying for your marketing dollar, may lure you off your path where you’ll end up stuck in the weeds. Instead, choose the three marketing channels that are most likely to be successful for your business by getting crystal clear about:
- Who your target audience is
- Where they are consuming information
- How they make decisions
This information will help identify which marketing programs might be most effective, whether email marketing, social media marketing (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok), Google advertising, search engine optimization (SEO), targeted events, blogging, and the list goes on. Choose three marketing channels and stick with them for 3-6 months — which leads us to the second thing you can do to get off the island….
Don’t Give Up Too Quickly
Marketing can be frustrating when you’re not seeing immediate results. But by sticking with your three chosen marketing outreach tactics for at least 90-180 days, you’ll get a good feel for what’s working and what needs to be tweaked. Any less time and you’re likely to miss the data you need to measure results.
Business owners who aren’t tracking their marketing effectiveness often elect to change course too soon. An email campaign with initial lackluster results may be abandoned altogether rather than being revised and tried again. A social media outreach campaign may be scrapped when posts don’t appear to result in direct business. But a plan needs to be given some time and decisions based on data – essential for gauging and refining marketing efforts.
It all begins with a solid plan. Start by creating a 90-day checkpoint for your outbound marketing programs to evaluate progress and results, then logically and purposefully determining next steps. Set goals for each program. If you have no data points from which to build your goals, start with industry-standard data points. After the first 90 days let the results guide how you move forward. Instead of abandoning your chosen marketing program because your goals didn’t hit the mark, consider refining your message or updating your contact list to more specifically reflect your target market – which leads us to our final way to get off the island….
Test and Measure
90 days after initiating your three marketing programs, you’ll have data at your fingertips – real information that tells you what has worked and what needs an adjustment. For an email campaign, you’ll have numbers that reveal how many people have opened your emails and clicked through. If you’ve followed up with outbound calling or a LinkedIn connection campaign, your data will indicate how many contacts took subsequent action (asked for a proposal, inquired about your business through a web form, requested a meeting, etc.).
Those data points will help you determine subsequent steps for the next 90 days. Whether you change the links embedded in your email, make calls to action more specific, or create thought leadership blogs to build credibility, make intentional, data-guided shifts, stick with your plan for the next 90 days, then again review the results. You’ll continue to gain insight as you refine your marketing plan and will start to see results.
Get Outside Help
If you’re still stuck, you’re not alone. Marketing is a craft that is honed over a period of years. Since your focus is – and should be – on running your company, enlisting a good marketing partner might be your best next step. At 5280 Accelerator our passion is helping business owners position themselves to grow their companies. We start with a strategy then execute marketing campaigns to carry it out, based on a thorough understanding of your target market and the most effective way to reach it.
Rather than huddling in your tent, rationing your food and water as you attempt to unravel your marketing conundrums, let us be your speedboat and get you off the island! Schedule a discovery call to discuss your unique challenges. We’d be honored to work alongside you!
About 5280 Accelerator
5280 Accelerator is a strategic marketing firm helping small businesses create a clear picture of how to grow. Since 2002, they’ve helped companies reach their revenue goals, launch new products, open new markets, and get on the fast track to growth. Learn more at 5280Accelerator.com.